Errors mar council polls in Kampala and Entebbe

Errors such as missing candidates on the ballot papers, misplaced party symbols and a widespread low voter turnout witnessed in various parts of Kampala appear to have messed up a fairly “calm” local council polling exercise.

Confronted by infuriated candidates whose names and symbols were missing, the Electoral Commission was yesterday left with no choice but to suspend the exercise in some areas, particularly in Kampala amid accusations of incompetence.

Voting for LC3 councillors for Kisenyi, Kasubi A, National Theatre, Railway Park Yard Ground and Kasubi B polling areas were cancelled to appease incensed voters who in some areas attempted to lynch presiding officers even as EC officials apologised for what they described as inadvertent omissions on the ballot papers.

“We apologise for the mix-up,” the director of operations EC, Mr Leonard Mulekwah, said. “We are going to investigate what exactly happened and another date for the election of the directly elected councilors will be communicated.

But the election of women councillors and LC3 chairpersons should proceed.” Yesterday, the country elected chairpersons and councillors for the 22 municipalities and five city divisions in Kampala. But the exercise was suspended in some areas.

Arrested 20
In Entebbe, at least 28 people suspected to have been ferried from Kampala were arrested by police on electoral related offences. However, Mr Abbey Sabila, an independent mayoral candidate, said the suspects were his polling agents.

Elsewhere, our correspondents talked of a disappointing low voter turnout that eclipsed a peaceful process witnessed in various parts of the country.

The government failure to declare a public holiday, army deployment and the ballot stuffing that muddled the last week’s abortive Kampala mayoral polls were blamed for the low voter turnout.

“The low voter turnout show that people have lost trust in a biased Electoral Commission,” Rubaga LC3 chairperson contender Joyce Nabbosa Ssebuggwawo told Daily Monitor after voting.

“Something has to be done to change the current Electoral Commission before it’s too late.” For instance, at Railway Ground polling station in Kampala Central Division, out of 633 registered voters, only 20 had voted by 1pm, at Mengo polling station in Rubaga Division, 100 people had voted by mid-day out of 680 registered voters and Kakeeka polling station 60 had voted by 2pm out of the 670 voters on the register.

At Kibuye II Parish with seven polling stations, station O-Z had 65 voters cast their votes out of 583 by 1:40am. At N-Nal station only 44 out of 594 had polled. At Nam-NZ 53 voters out of 720 registered had polled.

In Makindye, Kawempe, Nakawa and Rubaga areas, the situation remained calm and voting materials arrived early although our correspondents again talked of a “disappointing voter turnout” largely blamed on election fatigue and government’s failure to declare the voting day a public holiday.

Reported by Yasiin Mugerwa, Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa, Scarlet Chemarum, Martin Ssebuyiira, Robert Mwanje, Ephraim Kasozi, Emmanuel Mulondo, Richard Wanambwa, Rose Mukama, Melody Kukundakwe and Clear Balondemu.